On the Road ... Running in Dubrovnik, Croatia & the Dalmatian Islands

A Runner's Oasis

Nearly two weeks into my European travel-running experiment I had reached a runner’s oasis. My fatigued legs were strengthened and recovered from an intense stretch of running that tested all aspects of conditioning. As a wobbly commuter bus transported us south along the Croatian coastline, the narrow winding road teased us with views of the blue Adriatic Sea. Awaiting us was five days worth of running in a hidden jewel of the Mediterranean: the city of Dubrovnik and the accompanying Dalmatian Islands in Croatia’s southernmost region [Map Here].

Earlier in the day on a short layover in Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, Sean and I took out our running journals to size up what we’d accomplished in the last 13 days. Despite relatively low weekly mileages -- 46 in week 1; 35 in week 2 -- each of our runs had an element of challenge to it. Long runs, hills runs on uneven terrain, workouts. When we weren’t side- and stutter- stepping our way through crowds of tourists on busy city streets, we were ascending and descending steep-graded hills and mountains.

Nearly every run required a hard effort. We both admitted that coming into our trip the only training goal would be maintaining current fitness levels. Had we actually intensified our training?

When we weren’t running we were climbing stairs, lugging 40-pound packs through train stations and, in general, walking. Constantly walking. Our only rest came on trains as we traveled from country to country and city to city.

Which is exactly where we found ourselves now. On a travel day. Dubrovnik is, to say the least, a pain to get to. At least a full day of traveling is required even when coming from Croatia’s neighboring central European countries. Coming from the Czech Republic would take significantly longer, but considering my near burn-out in Prague this was a commute I looked forward to.

Dubrovnik is a city of great historic and natural enchantment. Originally a walled-city settled in the 7th century, Dubrovnik was a major center for the Mediterranean trade route making it particularly susceptible to attacks. But the formidable walls, now a major tourist attraction, were never breached. Even during the much publicized Siege of Dubrovnik – a 7-month barrage of bombings by the Yugoslav Army during the Homeland War in the early 1990’s – the walls stood.

Outside its walls, Dubrovnik has stubbornly developed and grown up the adjacent hillsides that ascend almost immediately from sea level. The resulting historical and architectural significance earned Dubrovnik official recognition as a UNESCO (United Nations Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organization) -certified world heritage site.

Dubrovnik’s geographic position is situated directly on the Adriatic Sea opposite Italy. The region’s climate is made temperate by a gentle wind known as Maestral, or “messenger of lovely weather,” which refreshes the hot sun.

Being built on a mountainside, running in Dubrovnik is, not surprisingly, a challenge. The task is made easier by clean air and the gradual, rolling streets that wind up and down the hills. The pacing that comes from swinging one’s momentum to transition from downhill to uphill was welcome relief to the uneven off-road climbs we had grown accustomed to.

The walled-in section of the city (known as “Old Town”) is off limits to runners – even at night. Poor lighting, centuries-old cobblestone stairways and narrow pedestrian paths (no cars are allowed inside city walls) make it a much more pleasant daytime adventure to stroll. And to paraphrase Rick Steves, if you don’t take the opportunity to walk Old Town’s medieval walls, your passport should be revoked.

Dubrovnik is likely “run-able” in two or three days. Another running option on mainland is Babinuk, the city’s largest green park on the westernmost peninsula.

We didn’t have the time nor desire to stick to mainland for long. Hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails were waiting on the true gems of the Dalmatian Coast: the Dalmatian Islands that splatter the Adriatic Sea.
We targeted two islands: Locrum, a lush and relatively small island; and Mljet, a larger island that houses a secluded national park.

Locrum was an irresistible destination to run. Only a 20-minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik, Locrum is the most prominent view from Dubrovnik before the horizon melts into the Adriatic’s blue water. Visible from virtually anywhere near Old Town, it teased us.

We covered Locrum’s trails in well under an hour, but it wouldn’t have been a true travel run if we didn’t explore each trail to its end. One is never far from the Island’s coast and accompanying magnificent views. The highlight was in ascending the hill leading to the ancient fort that is the highest point on the island. The view from atop offers stunning angles of Dubrovnik’s Old Town we hadn’t seen from mainland.

My favorite run was on the island of Mljet, an isolated island of the Adriatic Sea. It has been famously written about by Homer in The Odyssey and the Apostle St. Paul. I can only assume, despite my limited travel, Mljet is one of the world’s most beautiful islands.

The island itself is massive, but the most accessible part is Mljet National Park. Surrounding two salty lakes, Malo Jezero (small lake) and Valiko Jezero (Great Lake), the bodies of water are actually secluded bays that barely open up into the Adriatic.

Wide, smooth running trails outline both lakes clear blue water, but stay shaded by the lush evergreen forest. Enjoying the flat grade of sea level, we stuck close to the lakes and, even after hammering through a 75-minute run, it wasn’t enough to cover both lakes.

There’s another upside to finishing close to the lakes. A dip in the buoyant, crystal clear blue water is a perfect way to cool off.

We left town feeling refreshed. On five runs, I logged nearly 10 miles a day and was on the way to my highest weekly mileage in over a year. Despite this, our runs were relatively effortless compared to our first two weeks of travel running. My legs felt recovered and strengthened. Not only had I intensified my training, I had taken it to another level.